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My mother was watching TBN this morning. It is a religious station. This morning a host had a doctor on the show. He was talking about several things, including reversing dementia. He mentioned some of the dementias and recommended unmentioned vitamins and nutrients to take. The more I listened, the more I realized the quackery. Many of the things he said did not line up with research done. Then he said that Alzheimer's could be cured by eating 6-8 eggs a day. He said that it would take a while, but that the damage in the brain would stop, then start to resolve. I wondered where he got such an idea, especially since Alzheimer's can be difficult to diagnose and is often mixed with vascular dementia.

My mother perked up when she heard the egg cure. Personally I know that her cholesterol is sitting around 268 right now and the last thing we want is for her to be eating half a dozen eggs a day. I told her not to listen to him, that he was a quack.

But imagine all the people out there watching these religious channels who don't have someone to say No. Should these religious channels get by with being this irresponsible? No one asks questions and no other-side viewpoint is given. Anyone watching that show this morning may be cooking eggs right now, hoping that it helps with their cognitive problems. The doctor this morning didn't quote research, only what he had done in his own patients. I certainly wouldn't want this quack working on me or my family.

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I googled the egg cure for Alzheimer's and found some other people pushing eggs as prevention. The stance of these people tend to be anti-medical-establishment. They feel doctors and medicine cause Alzheimer's. I listened to one talking megadoses of silenium and bi-hourly consumption of Vit C to protect the arteries from the high cholesterol of the eggs. That way I guess the arteries are protected from plaque buildup, so the cholesterol can reach the brain. The only thing here is that a healthy liver will remove excess cholesterol from the blood to try to maintain homeostasis. Another thing that is ignored is that the liver can make cholesterol from sterols if the body needs more. Cholesterol shortage is not something a non-starving person needs to concern themselves with, even if the diet is strictly vegetable.
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Thank God my mother-in-law didn't see this. LOL
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Are these the same religious folks that ask for money from our impared parents?? LOL Or the famous TV Doctor that sells vitamens and diet supliments for a miracle cure? I hate this stuff. like a miracle cure is out there and the medical community does not know about this? Dang, we;d all be skinny and healthy!
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Since cholesterol is supposed to cure Alzheimer's, maybe he should have prescribed pig brains -- very high in cholesterol without having to eat much. Of course, we have to hope there are no prions (mad pig disease?). Okay, I am jesting, but edging toward the border of bad taste.

This evening I learned that each cell can also make its own cholesterol if it needs to. That was interesting. All the research seems to say that being cholesterol deficient would not be a problem if someone is not starving.
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I believe in freedom of speech. I do. But selling snake oil needs to be regulated! Holloring "Fire" in a crowded nightclub (when there is no fire) should be punishable. And taking advantage of vulnerable people is despicable.

But this is probably about as true as many other messages on the religious channels.
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There is some new research which claims that it may be possible to predict Alz 3 years in advance of it showing on cognitive tests. The tests relate to a certain lipid (fat) profile in those who developed Alz when compared to those who didn't.
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"A team led by Dr. Howard Federoff of the Georgetown University School of Medicine has developed a test based on measuring the levels of ten fatty chemicals -- commonly called lipids -- in the blood. As membranes of the brain cells affected by Alzheimer's begin to break down, the levels of the lipids decrease.

The Georgetown team analyzed blood samples from 525 volunteers, all of whom were over the age of 70. Halfway through a five-year period, the team compared blood samples from 53 patients who were already affected by either Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with samples from 53 patients who were "cognitively normal." They found that analyzing the lipid levels could predict with 90 percent accuracy whether patients went on develop MCI or Alzheimer's within three years.
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It maybe related to where he got the notion, not that there is any research indicating that eating certain lipids or a certain quantity of lipids would have any effect on Alz., but there is a movement away from grains and other carbs towards including the right balance of dietary lipids - less omega 6's and more omega 3's as in salmon, walnuts, grass fed animals and milk from grass fed animals, flax and more.

On a different note, it is not just the religious stations who feature people claiming quick fixes for one thing or another.
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My mother watches TBN a lot. I see some of the preachers that seem to be sincere and I respect them even if their views are different than my own. Others just seem to fixate on selling and donations. I do think the religious networks need to regulate their pseudo-medical information, given that a large part of their viewing audience are elderly people with health problems. What I saw this morning was contempt for MDs and the FDA in pushing what sounded very unhealthy to me. I usually shrug at snake oil, because while it doesn't help, it won't hurt. Promoting unhealthy diets, however, has the potential to do harm. It would have been interesting if they had done a point-counterpoint type of presentation, instead of presenting quackery as good medicine.
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Another thing that was brought up on the show was taking hydrogen peroxide. There is no use for hydrogen peroxide in the body. The cells quickly convert it to water and oxygen because it is toxic to them. It can be used topically to kill certain microbes. Anytime someone touts taking hydrogen peroxide internally, one should think snake oil salesman. I remember when the AIDS epidemic began in full force in the US, there were some companies talking about hyper-oxygenation with hydrogen peroxide in the veins would help cure it. One of the dumbest things on record, but many fell for it and wasted a lot of money. Some even pushed HIV organizations to make it available for people they served. There are people, unfortunately, who will feed on the hope of desperate people.
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in this information age you just have to make your own decisions . this reminds me of a lawsuit a few years ago by people who had been bilked out of their life savings by a religious organization. the judge threw them all out of his court room. they willingly bought snake oil. a judge cant protect you from your own stupidity..
just one fun jab at religion, then ill be nice.
did it ever occur to anyone besides myself why some cat with gold paved streets needs your money? whats he going to buy with your money, more jewels for his gateposts? meh. i suspect hes buying drugs to keep elvis and MJ singing for him..
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